


The View From The Afternoon

by Ricericerat



Category: Given (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, kind of, ritsuka is a dumbass but he tries, some angst sprinkled in, there is no plot they are just lying in bed and talking, yes the title is an arctic monkeys song but they used them so much in the anime that i had to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 05:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20736965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricericerat/pseuds/Ricericerat
Summary: "Ritsuka ran a hand through the other’s hair, slowly, so as to not startle him. His eyes opened slowly. He blinked once, twice and then there it was. That look, with eyes drained of emotion. The one he had witnessed way too many times. It made Ritsuka feel as if Mafuyu was looking at somewhere else instead of him, or someone else.A question, a certain concern that had been bugging him for days was louder than ever. He dreaded even vocalizing it, let alone hearing the answer. But he felt that he could not keep it in anymore."





	The View From The Afternoon

It was a cloudy afternoon. With how little sunshine reached the room it almost felt like nighttime. They were both lying on the bed, exhausted from all the practice they had done previously. 

Mafuyu had his eyes closed and he looked calm as if he was asleep. His breathing said otherwise.

Ritsuka ran a hand through the other’s hair, slowly, so as to not startle him. His eyes opened slowly. He blinked once, twice and then there it was. That look, with eyes drained of emotion. The one he had witnessed way too many times. It made Ritsuka feel as if Mafuyu was looking at somewhere else instead of him, or someone else.

A question, a certain concern that had been bugging him for days was louder than ever. He dreaded even vocalizing it, let alone hearing the answer. But he felt that he could not keep it in anymore. 

“Mafuyu.”

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of smile appeared on Mafuyu’s face at hearing his name and he tilted his head to be able to look at his boyfriend’s face better.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever wish it was Yuki instead when you look at me?”

The sudden tension in the room made the little sunlight they had feel lifeless and dull to Ritsuka. It wasn’t only the air around them, he could feel Mafuyu’s body tensing from where he had his arm wrapped around. Seconds seemed to pass with Mafuyu doing nothing to fill the heavy silence. He didn’t know if the boy couldn't find the words or simply didn't want Ritsuka to hear them. 

“Mafuyu, I’m not blaming you. I’m not jealous either. I just want to know who you actually think of when you are with me.”

With a sudden move, Mafuyu was on top of him. His expression was troubled but he had determination in his eyes as he stared into Ritsuka’s eyes.

“You are such an idiot.”

Well, Ritsuka wasn’t expecting exactly this kind of a reaction. Before he even had the opportunity to open his mouth, Mafuyu continued.

“Yuki is gone. I won’t lie and say that I don’t miss him. I do. I miss him every second I’m alive, and I forever will.”

With a smile now adorning his face, Mafuyu moved one hand to Ritsuka’s face. Cupping his cheek just like the other had done to him countless times, he continued his words.

“But it is just yearning for someone who had been so dear to me. I miss my closest friend, my companion, but I do not miss my... lover. I have you, Ritsuka, and I wouldn’t change you for anyone.” 

Ritsuka didn’t know which left him breathless. The words Mafuyu uttered, hearing his name for the first time from the boy who called him Uenoyama for months or the way said boy kissed him the moment his words were out of his mouth.

Mafuyu was kissing him so earnestly that for a moment all thoughts vanished from his head. He was only aware of the way their bodies were pressed up against each other and the heat of his face.

It was over way too soon. Mafuyu pulled away, panting with his face flushed and it took Ritsuka all his willpower not to chase his lips. 

“I’m sorry,” Ritsuka said to the boy above him. He reached out to push back the hair that was falling on the other’s face. “I’m sorry, Mafuyu.”

“I am not mad.” His voice sounded smaller than a moment before and a blush was spreading to his face with the realization of the words he let out in a moment of frustration. As true as they were, they were still embarrassing to voice. Still, he felt like he had to say more. He couldn't leave a conversation before saying all he had to say. He wouldn't. Not anymore.

“I just don't want you to feel like you are not enough.” 

He placed a fleeting kiss to Ritsuka’s jaw and laid his head down on his shoulder, seeking comfort in the way Ritsuka played with his hair whenever he did. And with no surprise, Ritsuka's hands were immediately tangled in his hair.

"I shouldn't have asked that. It's just the way you feel like you see right through me nowadays.." 

His hand went still as he stopped mid-sentence, unsure of following the train of thought. 

“Oh,” Ritsuka could feel Mafuyu tense from where he was lying on top of him.

“I have been having some dreams recently... I didn't think you would notice.”

His voice was way too quiet, reminding Ritsuka of a wounded puppy you would want to protect. He continued caressing Mafuyu’s hair as he wrapped his other arm around him, hoping to give him a bit of comfort before asking,

“Dreams? Do you want to talk about them?”

There was a moment of silence before Mafuyu spoke, slow and timid as if he was afraid of startling even himself. 

“They are about you.”

“I see you every night in my dreams until… I can’t.”

Ritsuka kept silent and waited until he was ready to continue. With Mafuyu, he was always wary not to go too far or cause him to pull back into his shell. 

“I keep losing you. Night after night, you slip away from my grip and I can’t do anything about it.”

Mafuyu’s voice was trembling as he spoke. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of Ritsuka’s hand combing through his hair, his arm tightly wrapped around his waist, and his warmth around him from their intervened legs to the rest of their bodies.

“Ritsuka, I can’t lose you too.”

“You won’t.” Came his answer, quick and possibly more confident than he had ever been in his life.

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can. I promise you Mafuyu, I’m here to stay as long as you want me.”

“You can’t know that. That’s.. a pretty long time.”

“Let’s seal it with a kiss.”

“What are you, eight years old?” He scoffed even though he didn’t resist at all when Ritsuka’s hand moved from his hair to his cheek to pull him up and into a kiss. It was a soft and slow kiss, like Ritsuka was trying to pour all his emotions into it. It made Mafuyu drowsy, he wanted it to last forever, to be embraced by this warmth and never wake up from it.

“There, It’s a promise.” Ritsuka breathed against his lips when he pulled away after what felt like forever.

"That was so childish," Mafuyu muttered, but his smile had returned to his face when he leaned down to steal another kiss. 

"But I doubt only one kiss will be enough for such a promise."

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat with me on twitter!  
@ricericerat
> 
> My friend made an adorable art of them check it out!!  
https://twitter.com/catsanie/status/1175140022389006336?s=20


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